Home › Forums › Introduction to Truffle Hunting › Homework Forum – Introduction to Truffle Hunting › Tim Rinaldi & Molly
- This topic has 43 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 2 months ago by Alana McGee.
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June 12, 2015 at 11:00 pm #5313Alana McGeeKeymaster
Kristin & I were chatting and we had a couple of questions about the whistle- just so we are on the same page and can provide appropriate comments.
When you blow it are you asking for a change of direction or a return to handler? Or a “you’ve reached the outer limits of where I want you to check”? I couldn’t tell from video but you may also have a check right, check left different whistle command. It varies from handler to handler. We are curious to know the intent of the whistle in how Molly interprets it in correlation to searching behaviors.
As for body posture- Your skill level shows and this will be to your advantage later- especially if you decide to work wild areas in Lincolnshire at all which are a bit different than maintained orchards.
Being in odor means means hitting the scent column, yes. But there is a difference between what we may call “being in odor” and “crittering”. When we say being in odor- we are referring to our target scent- in this case, truffles.
You did recognize it, and you even said at the end of the video that you realized she was tracking something else behind those cans. Which is well done. Those are the moments to pay close attention to and review. The more you work outside in complex environments (which you & Molly are doing right now) the more you will have opportunity to view this shift in scenting behavior. The differences in canine body language can be subtle, but at later stages (and especially for you on an orchard),it is critical for handlers to recognize this shift. Is your dog scenting truffle or grouse? On pre-production (commencing production) orchards you run into the complication of searching getting monotonous and it is key as a handler to know when your dog is off truffle and on something else so you can redirect. It is about your communication and connection with Molly more than anything else. And you two have a very solid connection- but just something to keep your eyes open for.
As for stress: Molly is incredibly sensitive. What we would suggest is to always have that extra target on you to manufacture success, and don’t be afraid to use it! There was a gap of time between successes and around the 2:17- 2:27 mark, wherein she was incorrect behind the cans and after which around 2:35 she starts to show stress. Luckily that other hide was close and it quickly settles her, but keep this in mind for the future, especially when you graduate to larger areas. Throw out a target for her to find far more often than you think you need to. We need to see more video of it but it seems she will work work through frustration, but her version of sensitivity to stress is to work faster and harder not necessarily more thoughtfully. If you can build that confidence it will settle her over time.
As for your question on Alerts:
Precision alerts take time. Your analysis of how to go about it, yes, is correct. However, based on what you just said we have another approach to try and that involves delays as well and works on keeping her engaged with you at source pointing it out to you, repeatedly- which seems a more natural approach for her.Take a look at your video again. You had a good delayed reward at 1:11. The next step is target in hand before reward (tossing the ball).
It will look something like this: Molly gives the alert, and when you see it you click as you are approaching, also giving her enthusiastic verbal praise (as you have been). As you kneel down you can ask for a re-alert- again all while praising. You can even add additional elements such as parting the grass around the truffle to add to the delay. You then pick up the target and (then!) ball delivery to Molly. This whole process should only take about 5-7 seconds (at this point), but the delayed reward comes after the target is in hand. AND after a re alert. Eventually you can ask for multiple re-alerts. While this is not a duration nose on target, it can evolve to such.So right now we would say work with the re-alert of the nose touch when you arrive at the scene while delaying reward. You can eventually turn that into a longer and longer duration hold (nose on target). It also takes some of the pressure off of timing with clicks, and you can begin to fade the clicker. The goal is to keep her engaged with you at the site of the truffle until you have truffle in hand. That is our end criteria.
Do keep in mind if it is a difficult hide, or she seemed to be overly stressed or distracted, lower your delay/ success criteria.
June 13, 2015 at 5:34 am #5314timParticipantLove it crittering! yes she was certainly crittering behind the bins. Turns out there’s a birds nest with chicks in it down there.
I use the whistle in three ways, recall, sit and you reached the limit of where i want you to search, used this in the vid. Its more a back towards me and then i’ll cast her off with my body language in different direction.
Is a pawing motion an acceptable first alert? with a nose touch as re alert. I ask this as its difficult to see the nose sometimes at the target, the paw is easily identifiable from a distance- i find this is easier to tell if she is crittering. – would never paw at critter scent.
June 13, 2015 at 10:11 pm #5331Alana McGeeKeymasterThank you for clarifying Tim. That’s what it looked like with the whistle, but we wanted to be sure.
A paw is an acceptable first alert. This comes back to our question of will you be working on your own orchard or others as well? The reason we ask is if on other orchards not your own, not all orchard owners want dogs to dig them up. It is something we cover in our level 3 course when it gets to the point where folks are actually starting to possibly find truffle- and how orchard harvesting is a bit different than wild harvesting.
All that said, absolutely. That is generally our preferred series of alert behaviors- because remember it is a behavior chain, not just one alert behavior. A nose touch as a re-alert is fabulous. It is often more precise than feet, as you will see later. If Molly offers that paw behavior, go for it! You will notice over time her alert behavior chain will evolve and adapt as well to the scenario you are working in, so just be conscious of that fact. We tend to be more adaptive in our approach than requiring strict obedience to a cue, as situations on orchards and in the wild will vary, and so it is your task as a handler to interpret her signals.
But in short, yes, absolutely. We like to use what the dog offers naturally and be an opportunist when possible!
June 16, 2015 at 1:42 pm #5407timParticipantHi here are a few pics of where training is taking place. I have found the major issues are when targets are placed up against walls and corners. Wind possibly swirling around. to over come this I work the dog in a kind of box shape this way she covers all angles of the breeze.
In the open areas I would usually work the dog left to right into the on coming wind. If there are any large obstacles that could cause breeze to form eddies I would work the dog around it to make sure all angles are covered.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by tim.
June 16, 2015 at 1:57 pm #5409timParticipantHow does Rain affect the scent? does it keep it down on the ground and confined to a smaller area?
June 16, 2015 at 6:51 pm #5411Alana McGeeKeymasterHi Tim
Rain does very much affect scent, and scent distribution. A good question. Key to remember: Scent clings to wet things. Wet plants, wet logs, wet grass.
Simply put, it increases concentration, but does not necessarily limit area. It does stay closer to the ground, yes. In many ways it is easier for dogs to detect odor when the ground is wet, unless they have not practiced in it. That’s why we suggest you do- it will change how odor moves in the environment.
The analogy we often use in seminars is a ‘wet dog’, but it gets a bit science-y. Why do ‘wet dogs’ smell more than dry dogs? On a dry dog all those VOCs are bound up next to the hair follicle and can’t move very easily. They are trapped. On a wet dog the VOCs, which are carried by water (as that is how they transfer) can transfer down the length of the hair and out into the environment with far more ease. They also bind with your scent receptors better.
Also, in part, this is why dog’s noses are wet. Scent particles bind more readily and transfer to other wet objects (this is over simplification, but you get the general idea).
June 16, 2015 at 7:21 pm #5412Alana McGeeKeymasterGreat photos Tim, and your analysis is spot on. The edges of buildings do create turbulent air, that especially if it is dry where you are currently, can be difficult, compounded more so if it is hot and the odor plumes.
That last photo has some really nice dense foliage which will be good to work in later. It will also get Molly used to pushing through, rooting, working with obstacles covering scent, which may be the case on some of the orchards you may visit. Not everyone mows their orchards. It also has a couple of nice (relatively) barren spots that will change scent flow, as well as the trees. Nice.
A bit hard to tell from the photo, but are those young Beech or maple (acer) trees?
Ask Dr. Thomas, but Beech in your area are known for being excellent hosts for summer truffles, so just FYI. Granted, they are not in a thicket there, so I’m not overly concerned, but I’ll ask him as well. It looks like an oak of some kind on the left in the 3rd photo, yes? Not overly concerned by that either, but just things to be aware of.
Do note the cement areas, if not using boxes, (and when dry especially) will prove more difficult for searches, as there is very little for scent to cling to. Those are some nice large areas you can expand into, with decently defined edges to set boundaries. They look good… And good instincts on approaching from different angles.
June 17, 2015 at 3:41 am #5416timParticipantHi Alana,
Thanks for the feedback.
Trainings has been going as follows.
In yard area shown in pics we have been doing searches for targets with no visual aid for dog in all areas starting easy and then recently placing targets in the most difficult areas, up against walls in corners etc.
Have cooked scents from couple of hours to over night.
Yesterday moved back on to blind targets -didn’t seem to affect mollyHave been doing this at various times including mid day when its been hot.
Molly has found all targets fairly easily.
Noticeable difference in her hunting body language really using her nose now-can also hear her breathing through her nose rather than mouth.
Can you recommend the next few steps in relation to making the searches more difficult. I’m thinking move into the second area shown in pics. Work with targets with no visual aid then move up to blind.
Alert still needs lots of work but there is enough there to let me know when she has found something
June 17, 2015 at 8:56 am #5418timParticipantYes beech tree’s in picture. I am pretty sure the soil is of the wrong sort for truffles so there shouldn’t be a problem with the dog alerting and me thinking she’s got it all wrong!.
Molly found targets in the hard areas of yard in the picture easier than those on the boundary and placed against walls. I’m thinking although the cement won’t hold scent as well, the air flow around is better so the scent is carried on the breeze?
This vid was at 10am quite warm been very dry for a couple of days. Targets contained very small pieces and were placed the previous day at 3pm. This was the first run out. Notice crittering at about 1.20
- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by tim.
June 18, 2015 at 12:18 am #5429Alana McGeeKeymasterHey Tim
Scent is carried on the breeze, yes, but doesn’t cling to the flat horizontal surfaces as well. It is capricious. In an essence yes it can be easier, sometimes. There are situations where this is in fact harder, or just different. It all is highly dependent on weather conditions. It’s just something to be aware of. On hard packed ground & concrete odor moves differently- faster we call it… Partly what we are saying is you may not see the same behaviors manifest when you start working in grass. You’ll notice Molly doubling back more. Her search patterns won’t be as clean, straight forward lines to source.
You are correct, the walls are harder because of those eddies. While scent will accumulate in these places, it is messy, so it’s harder for her to pinpoint, but she does an excellent job in this video working through it. Tenacious 🙂
Video:
She is a fast worker. We love that she is so enthusiastic and you can see it in her whole body. Makes us smile, big time. That’s what it is all about.We also like that she was checking elevation. Outside the box thinking.
0:20 You are moving a little too fast here. We understand you are trying to work her through space, and you are providing physical blocks/pressure with your hands and body to get her to move a certain direction and around the sides of the buildings with eddies, but be slightly more still in the these scenarios. Just a tad. We’d suggest giving her a little more leeway/space. Allow Molly to dictate a bit more where the parameters of the search area are. Because this is hardpack/cement, & because the odor has been sitting out almost 24 hours, and because it’s hot & dry, the odor is moving ‘fast’ in this environment and dissipates quickly. If you allow her a chance to quarter in and out more, it is more likely she’ll hit a scent column faster that doesn’t dissipate she can follow to source. It is also practice for you to allow her to to double back towards you and removing some of that pressure you are applying when she does so- take a step backwards. Wind on orchards (and in the forest) at ground level will move around quite a bit, and you don’t want to be blocking her from approaching a scent column because it is behind you and to your left by a foot.
1:37 she does this and tracks back towards you. You send her back out, which is not wrong, but we would likely have said take a step back and allow her more space to search before cue the direction with your hand.
*You do a better job of leaving space from 0:30 to 0:42. Don’t jump to the hand signals right away, she’s doing well without it. If she got stuck in that back corner, then yes, absolutely- as she is sensitive to them. The hand signal at 0:42 was premature we think. Again, we know why you did it, but you know where the targets are here 😉 so you are more comfortable probably using the hand signals to direct her and apply pressure. Try to remain a tad more neutral, and see how that works. If you find she is ranging far outside your search area, then employ them. We don’t think she will though as she is so sensitive to your body orientation.
0:25, is she sitting or eliminating there? Both are fine, just curious if it is a sit you didn’t cue, perhaps why. Just for us gaining insight. In this scenario we also would have liked to have seen the few seconds after this when she re-engaged in the game. Did you cue her, or did she initiate and begin searching again on her own?
1:00 You do a very nice job of staying AT the location of the find. This is great. We’d like to see you collectively
spend more time at source. Not just you, but Molly with you there. Create the party/play at source, for longer. After the initial reward sequence/ ball play, ask her for a re-alert. (**This is where you can work on larger more active alerts as well. You are praising and acknowledging but withholding the ball until something more is offered*- Again use your good judgment and temper this. You don’t have to always hold out.)Right now you click, praise, reward, and Molly leaves (you’re still there). She doesn’t go far generally, because your focus & intention is still on the target area, but it is incredibly useful later to have the dog remain at the source of the alert after the initial alert. Not all truffles are superficial, or shallow and you’ll need her and that fabulous nose and wiggly body in order to locate it in the soil. Odor often does not come out of the ground exactly above the truffle, so even if the dog digs down, you’ll need help locating it. The best tool at your disposal to do so, will be Molly. Elongate that sequence.
Something you could try would be to use food instead of the ball as an initial reward, and use the ball as the jackpot/ end reward in the alert/reward sequence.
At this stage what that would look like: Molly finds target and alerts (Tim clicks), approaches praising (as you do now) and rewards Molly at source with food. Tim asks for a re-alert, Molly offers a more pronounced behavior (either passive or active- likely active will be more naturally for Molly), and then Tim rewards with Ball. Tim plays with Molly there, Tim staying at the site of the target (Target is not yet picked up). Tim gets Ball back from Molly. Pauses. (Molly might offer an alert here! if she does have massive Party!) Tim asks for re-alert again & then Rewards again with ball. Tim praises, plays with Molly & ball at source. Tim gets ball back and the cycle is repeated for multiple hides.
Eventually you’d be able to fade the intermediate ball play, but a lot of this will depend on Molly and if food is motivating enough, or the lack of toy reward is too frustrating. If food rewards cause frustration because she’s trying to figure out how to get that ball, you’d want to back off on this idea a bit, and try it without food but otherwise as described.
Both will have you spending more time at source, collectively, which is what we want. It also allows you an opportunity to work on the details within a larger picture.
You guys look great. Try a few of the above suggestions, & just keep them in mind. It is a lot to work with we know! You are doing wonderfully, and are a joy to watch.
As for building difficulty, your plan of action yes, sounds acceptable, but do try to focus a little on details mentioned above as now is the time to work on those foundational skills as later every action & movement is magnified in the canine response.
Keep building reward histories in this environment as well. Is that second photo (the one with the land rover?) you posted the same area as the place you have been training in, or slightly different? If different, yes, go for that. Hedgerows are great obstacles of distraction as many things live in them. Not that that will phase Molly, but it is good practice. If not (if it is the same area), work on expanding this search area (more laterally than what we saw in this video), and the scenario will be more about you, Tim, moving through the space not blocking access to odor coming from multiple targets spread in a scatter as opposed to relatively linearly, and building history for both of you in this scenario. Let us know if that doesn’t make sense.
**Try this first anyway- the scattershot idea— before you move to those grass areas. **Very well done Tim.
we also love this: “Noticeable difference in her hunting body language really using her nose now-can also hear her breathing through her nose rather than mouth.”
That’s one of our favorite noises.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Alana McGee.
June 18, 2015 at 8:25 am #5432timParticipantHi Alana,
Read this this morning put suggestions into today’s sessions…………Woweee have I been cramping this dogs style! Only had to pull her back in to the area once and even then I think she may have touched on a scent from quite a distance but lost it as she approached.
Scatter targets- Targets to left and right as well as ahead? Did this today in yard. Fine.
Today was a good scenting day weather a bit cooler and good breeze pushing through.Tried the alert sequence went ok, will give a bash with food think that may help. She is absolutely desperate to have that ball, talk about drive!! Part of the reason she is moving away for target area is because she has the ,she wants it away from me I might take it back! you can see this as well whenever I try to take it from her.
Instantly re alerts if I take the ball back no prompting needed.
So many questions……..
I have been trying to cook scents wherever possible, and mix up the size of the targets do I need to worry about this too much?Up until now I have tried to avoid using the same area more than once during a session. IE woulkd use left hand side of yard for first run. Then replace targets on right and go again. Is this an unnecessary precaution?
Should I discourage Molly from digging? I’m 100% that if she hits on a buried scent she would try to dig and find a little silver tin. Would this damage any truffles that are close to surface.Think that will do for now! I will post a vid tomorrow showing close up on alerts and new improved free flowing hunting
0.25 in Vid answering the call of nature.
June 18, 2015 at 10:02 pm #5435Alana McGeeKeymasterIn regards to the ball, Yeah we saw that 🙂 Molly needs to learn that she’ll get to play with the ball a few times. We don’t want her to start to get the association that you’re always going to take it right away!
That can eventually create a dog who will run away with the toy (or truffle), because they do value it so much. It’s not just ‘Tim gives me ball and then takes it away (OH NO!)’. It’s ‘Tim gives me ball, I give it back, Tim gives it to me again (WOWeee!), I give it back, Tim gives it to me AGAIN (WOWZA!’) Vary the amount of times you do this.
Example- I play this game at home sitting on the couch with two of my dogs- but it directly translates to what you are doing: They stand looking at me (these two share/play well together- one is often even sitting next to me). I ask one to do something *back up* he does he gets a ball toss right to him. A short lob (the speed varies). Then I ask the other one to do a trick * touch* let’s say. He does, he gets a lob toss. I ask Dog A again to do something and he gets two tosses in a row. Then Dog B gets one, and so forth. Unpredictable but fair. You want Molly to come away form giving you the ball back with a positive mentality, not a resource guarding instinct. Molly is one of those sweet dogs who will give you that ball eventually regardless if she really wants to. We want her to want to give it back- so make it a game. Make it a few tosses she gets while you are at source.
Kristin has a great trick in the field she uses with her border collie Callie that incorporates this. Callie gets a squeaky tennis ball as a reward for a truffle find. Kristin does a few tosses for Callie and then she asks Callie to put the ball away in her backpack. Genius. Why? Because it creates an entire, closed loop behavior sequence of events. Callie knows when the ball is back in bag it’s back to hunting, but Callie gets to be part of the entire process, and every aspect of truffle hunting is a game. From the playing with the ball, to putting it in the bag, to finding the truffles.
Remember alert sequences take time to develop, and it’s something that will continue to evolve and you’ll keep working on and honing. Our own dogs are this way. There are always things to tweak, and every dog is different. BUT we want Molly to want to give you that ball back. She’s a such a sweet natured sensitive thing, it shouldn’t take long just giving her a few tosses for that mini guarding behavior to extinguish. She has oodles and oodles of drive, and occasionally we want to indulge her 😉
Great that she instantly re-alerts. Again, that drive.
Questions are great— that’s why we are here!
Cooking odor is great (how are your truffles holding up?), and Molly is doing just fine with it- but do know that 24 hours cooking from short increments (a few hrs) is a big jump. Again, you’re doing just fine with it, but when you switch environments we suggest not jumping right into those long cooks. You are progressing fast through the foundations (which is fine) but we just want to make sure the reward histories are strong as in later stages it becomes apparent.
Let me put it this way- some of the best dogs/teams we have ever worked with in a recreational and a professional sense have been those teams who spent ridiculously long amounts of time doing simple hides in slightly different scenarios, building value/ history before they ever set foot in the woods or an orchard. Getting the details down now will help dramatically later. Every dog/ team is different, and Molly is perfectly capable we are sure of handling probably pretty complex above ground scenarios at this point, but we urge caution because in the long run (which is your goal for orchard hunting/ harvesting) you’ll be a more reliable solid team then if you push fast through the basics. (*Just to be clear- we don’t think you’re pushing too fast-we just want to let you know why solid foundations are so crucial).
Varying size/ material of tin/container is good. Good instincts on your part. You can use all kinds of things to hide odor in. You’re going to get to the stage of burying very soon with Molly, which will change the game. We’ve already seen you obscure under grasses. That’s going to continue & build….
Some dogs have the tendency of “get on odor—> follow odor——> look for shiny object.” So, using different containers is a semi way of proofing for that. We do get to proofing for containers in later lessons, but we don’t think this will be an issue with Molly at all.
Also, again, good instincts on your concept of avoiding an area you have used previously. Doing that (using the same area) does add complexity. Something to try now with Molly. Again, we don’t think it will phase her, but your reasoning IS spot on. Some dogs are extremely sensitive to this, as well as “run order” (if you are working multiple dogs- basically contamination of an area). Some are not and can work through it. Remember how we said truffle hunting is a scent messy sport? This is one of those real world scenarios you will encounter when truffle hunting. Especially on your orchard. You will be rechecking areas you have previously been in. Some of that will depend on the size of the orchard in question.
Try it and see what happens.
DIGGING:
This is a huge topic. The short answer is: It depends.On many things (which include but are not limited to, and in no particular order:)
Species being grown
-on which host?
Climate/ harvesting season
-Soil conditions
Orchard vs. wild
commercial sales
ownership of property
Size of property & expected yieldLonger answer:
If it’s your orchard, frankly, you can do what you want, and based on what we know in your situation, it’s fine. You are growing Summer truffles, which of all the truffle species I have encountered in my life, they are by FAR the most hardy/ resistant to damage by dogs. BY FAR. They are called scorzone (tree-bark in Italian) for a reason. That being said, OF COURSE we don’t want dogs to damage truffles! It’s going to depend a bit on how vigorous Molly is when digging. This is one of the reasons why we like “nose touches” as precise alerts. More precise & eliminates the risk of damage.That all being said….. Digging is just fine, and definitely has it’s place and it’s uses, so it is a good skill to teach. It’s a great tool to have in your tool box. Some dogs (one of my own included) are so intense when digging it becomes something to manage more heavily- but it is still a tool we use on occasion.
Again, it’s going to depend on Molly, and on you and you ability to teach her once the truffle is exposed to back off a bit. Which we have every confidence in, and which we will teach you. Digging is OKAY, and useful in many cases. Some orchard owners, for a variety of reasons, are not fond of it.That mostly has to do with overly assertive diggers who don’t have other mechanisms for alerts, or 10,000k ‘in production’ tree plantations such as in Australia where the dogs don’t dig at all because it would be too time consuming.
So it is fine to encourage that, but also we would suggest to work on nose touches. In a practical sense later when you are harvesting, that will be a good skill to have too!
*Summer truffles are really really tough* as truffles go. If you are growing Perigord (T. melanosporum) or Bianchetto (T. borchii) then yes, you’ll want to be a little more sensitive to Molly’s vigor.
June 22, 2015 at 12:02 pm #5458timParticipantHi Alana,
Have moved on to grass area, at moment not cooking scents, hiding in the grass- not causing any probs.
I am thinking I’ll stay at this level for little while just so as to really start to get the alert working better, its coming along but needs much more work. Possibly do some blind targets so I look at Molly more for the alert rather than knowing she’s in the right area so get ready. What do you think?
In relation to your question about how the frozen truffle was doing after the long cooks- I threw it out. You can see at the end of the previous vid i’d been using a very small slither of truffle. this seemed to dry out , so got rid.
Have been doing quite a bit of giving the ball back a few times (training at least 2 times a day 15 mins each.) She still wants to hang on to it!!! A case of continuing along the same route? did think maybe reward giving the ball with food?
Worth noticing she is crittering very little, that area is covered by rabbits and she is paying very little attention to areas where scrapes have been dug. I’m taking that as she is really focusing on locating a single scent.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by tim. Reason: add info
June 22, 2015 at 4:48 pm #5472Alana McGeeKeymasterThis video is EXCELLENT! Well done Tim. The energy between the two of you with these searches is more settled and cooperative. Really really nice. The tall grass is a great environment for you both right now because she has to root around a bit and you need to watch her closely to find the target. This is perfect for your stage of training.
While trying to get precision with your alerts, we wouldn’t recommend adding the difficulty of a blind hide. Tackle one at a time. As you have noticed, you need to be spot on when when working for a precise alert so you don’t want to miss an opportunity to mark and reward that precision. What we would recommend is using your clicker for those nose targets at the source. That is a great time to give a few clicks and rewards for the precision. She is doing a fabulous job! Using the clicker for a few “show me” nose touches at source will make it very clear for her. She is understanding this game of playing with you at the source very well.
For the ball, if you are going to ask for a drop, we definitely recommend rewarding with a cookie. If her desire to keep the ball is so strong that you are still find recovering the ball challenging, consider teaching her to put the ball in a backpack, in your hand or simply “let go” of the ball and let it fall to the ground. Teach those as a trick that Molly can earn a reward for. Most dogs will resist having something taken out of their mouths so if you can teach her to place the ball somewhere (at your feet, in your hand or in a bag), that will make for much less of a struggle later. Give her a motivating reason to release the ball 🙂
The first search was great and she did a nice job of re-alerting each time you took the ball. Good girl. We can’t tell what you are waiting for at 0:55 since it appears she nose targeted the truffle multiple times.
1:22 Molly showed you precisely where it was! AWESOME!
2:18 Again, FABULOUS! She is giving your very precise alerts. Your challenge now is to get the reward sequence manageable.
Keep it up. You are setting a great foundation and some fine tuning will help it be a smooth transition from reward to starting a new search.
June 23, 2015 at 1:26 am #5485timParticipantThanks Kristin,
Its more the guarding of the ball, her body language is saying its mine! once I have her facing the right way she will drop if I ask. I think a treat will sort this.How would you recommend proceeding with the alert? what are we looking for? I have been avoiding the clicker in this situation as when I used it before I struggled as she is so quick! I was miss timing the clicks and stressing her out- she wasn’t sure what I was asking from her.
I’m not too concerned at what the finished alert will look like as long as she can point out where the truffle is I’m going to be happy! Do I just carry on as I am or do I need to look for longer touches or something else………..?
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